Driving around Farmington, I am struck by the number of bumper stickers I see asserting, “Working People Vote Republican.” It’s striking because Sen. Susan Collins and other Republicans recently failed to support a raise in the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour.
Republicans argued that the raise would lead to job loss, while ignoring expert evidence to the contrary. Even with the proposed increase, a minimum wage salary would be just 12 percent of the base salary Collins makes as a senator, yet she still chose to oppose the raise.
That is not a vote for working people.
I expected Sen. Collins to represent her constituents’ interests, but she has not.
When I go to the polls in November, I am voting for Shenna Bellows because I trust her to represent me and other hard-working people in Maine.
Melissa Caminiti, Farmington
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